Cryptomator Locations Fixed Here

Using a vault on a slow or unreliable network share may cause timeouts. Increase the in Cryptomator settings if you experience errors.

| | Examples | Notes | | -------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Local disk | C:\Vaults\ (Windows) /Users/name/Vaults/ (macOS) /home/name/Vaults/ (Linux) | Works offline; sync manually if needed | | External drive | D:\MyVault\ (USB stick, external HDD) | Must be mounted before unlocking vault | | Cloud storage sync folder | ~/Dropbox/Cryptomator/ ~/Google Drive/MyVault/ ~/OneDrive/Vaults/ | The recommended use case – cloud provider syncs encrypted files safely | | Network drive / NAS | \\NAS\SharedFolder\Vault\ (SMB) /mnt/nas/vaults/ (NFS) | Performance depends on network latency | | Any mounted file system | WebDAV, SFTP (via rclone mount ), Box Cryptomator (no longer needed) | Cryptomator works with any folder the OS sees as a normal directory | cryptomator locations

If multiple people access the same vault (via a shared cloud folder or NAS), each must: Using a vault on a slow or unreliable

A Cryptomator vault can be created in any folder that your OS can access. The vault is a containing encrypted files. The vault is a containing encrypted files

This is the location where you work with your files. When you "unlock" a vault in Cryptomator, the software creates a virtual drive (or uses a WebDAV connection) to make your files appear unencrypted.

When using Cryptomator, one of the most common sources of confusion—especially for new users—is understanding where your files actually are. Unlike traditional encryption tools that create a single, large container file (like a VeraCrypt volume), Cryptomator works differently. It doesn't have one specific "location" where your data sits; rather, it bridges two distinct locations: the (where encrypted data is stored) and the Virtual Drive Location (where you access decrypted files).

A frequent question regarding locations is: "Can I move my vault?"